


i think your love would be just enough

by alsahm



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Babysitting, Caroline Says Fuck, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 00:51:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17436728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alsahm/pseuds/alsahm
Summary: Jealousy abound when Ren calls his boyfriend over to help babysit the twins.





	i think your love would be just enough

**Author's Note:**

> love to heek and renn for their help <3 quick fluffy happy au!

Caroline is so incessantly persistent on accusations of a _secret date night_ that when Narukami—dressed to the nines in a smart yukata but equipped with a thin, silver wedding band—finally arrives to relieve Margaret of her twin sisters, their eldest sibling struts out on her heels, purposefully takes his arm, and gives them all the finger. Ren figures that's fair, all things considered, but it does set him up for a very long night of gremlinsitting, given that both Elizabeth and Theodore also managed to piss off the twins prior to their respective departures last week.

He decides to call Goro for backup. Ren doesn't make it habit to summon his boyfriend to work—it seems irresponsible—but the one time Goro stopped by with the 7/11 bento for which Ren had been dying, he stood in the foyer with a hand to his waist and employed the same raw authority and attractiveness as in the courtroom, which awed Caroline and Justine into perfect obedience until he left.

Of course Ren was thoroughly interrogated thereafter, but it was a blissful few minutes. Also cute, because Caroline thinks she is being subtle about her crush on Ren.

What the twins know about Goro: Ren met him on the train, when Goro "dropped" his phone and Ren was so kind as to return it. They used to go to school together, before Ren pulled out and Goro transferred somewhere better to study criminal justice. That Goro claims to like his coffee dark, but also that when Ren fixed everyone up, Justine's was definitely blacker.

What the twins know about Ren: Too much. If all the people in Ren's life were tasked with writing his Wikipedia article, Caroline and Justine would have the most substantial contribution: his birthday, his friends' names, the existential dread that he accidentally reveals through snide remarks. That he's restarted _Arsène Lupin_ more times than he can remember, that he absolutely refuses to do the dishes until he has licked clean both bowl and spoon, and, admittedly, that his sides are where he's most ticklish. 

Also that he is cute but has a boyfriend. The latter being a recent discovery, and one obviously met with mixed reviews. 

Ren is occupied at the kotatsu with Justine's nails, so Caroline gets the door. With it open she casts a strong glare at Ren, clearing her throat to ensure he receives it. "Well look what the cat dragged in!”

Look indeed. Equipped with a sweater vest and a bag of what looks like giant lollipops, Goro smiles two watts shy of too much. "Good evening. Ren-nii is rather feline, isn't he?"

Justine giggles, but it's unclear whether it's at Goro's observation or _Ren-nii_ , to which Caroline instantly rolled her eyes and Ren steadied his hand to huff his silent laughter without spilling polish everywhere. 

"Oh, _please_ ," says Caroline, slamming the door behind him, and because she has a stunning ability to be correct while making shit up completely, points her finger at him. "Quit it with the act, there's _no way_ you're as nice as you pretend to be."

A watt higher and two pats on her head. "You must be Caroline. Ren has told me so much about you."

Ren's boyfriend is really about to bitch it out with a ten-year-old.

"He-He has?" And of course it's working—Caroline is red and rooted to the spot, murmuring, "What—what did he…"

Pettiness being Goro's favorite sport he opts not to answer and assumes instead a spot beside Ren, giving him a kiss on the cheek, and then—more forward than strictly necessary—spreading Ren's fingers to inspect his nails, which are unevenly pink and drowning in silver glitter. 

1-2-3. Ren counts breaths, stages of life, children he will be watching tonight. Then he says, "Hey, babe."

"Hello, dear. Don't you look lovely."

"Please cease provoking my charges." 

"I'm sure," says Goro, as he releases Ren only to nudge him aside and adopt all further duties of Justine's manicure, "I haven't the faintest idea what you mean."

Ren acquiesces, acknowledging with some dishonesty Goro's superior skill. It's worth it for the hint of Goro's genuine smile and the extra effort he puts in, for Justine tilting her head to watch him more carefully. With them occupied Ren hauls himself up to collect the kitchen scissors from Caroline before her assault on Goro's hair is successful.

He strongarms her a distance away.

"Hey!"

"Is for horses," responds the part of Ren which has apparently spent too much time with Narukami. Caroline seems to think so, too, because even with warm cheeks her brow furrows in disbelief that Ren could say something so profoundly stupid. Fortunately Ren's mastered his poker face. "And this"—he snips at the air—"is for destemming peppers."

Caroline gestures in Goro's direction, expression deepening.

"You seem to be unfamiliar with peppers," says Ren. "They're spicier."

For a moment she freezes. Then her nose scrunches in disgust. " _What_ does he even _see_ in you."

Ren can think of a few things but only shrugs, setting the scissors safely atop a high shelf. Defused, Caroline makes a V with her fingers, points them at her cut eyes, and shoots the daggers toward Goro before marching away. 

It seems a safe time for Ren to set dinner, so he uncovers the lasagna Margaret left for them and slides it into the oven to warm. It's when he's putting out plastic dishware for four that Goro appears again, announcing with pride that "the mellow one's" nails have been thoroughly polished and she has been positioned in front of the TV, where, when Ren peeks, she is upside down on the couch and waving her hands around to dry.

Ren could say she'll get a headache but so could Futaba, and it never stops her. So: "Justine. And thanks. What is she—"

 _"_ Oh _SHIT_! _"_

 _THUD_.

Caroline.

"—I'll get it. Do you mind dishing out the food? It's in the oven."

He bolts without hearing Goro's response.

What happened is that Caroline was in Theodore's-Old-Room-Slash-Margaret's-New-Office, where she climbed onto the rolling office chair in the interest of reaching the high shelf upon which were stacked the boardgames. Being a gambler's household cards and Cluedo are only brought out with adult supervision, but being a gambler Caroline had cared not, and as she pulled at the coveted boxes the chair rolled into the desk and she tripped and fell and, Ren announces with a soft smile, twisted her ankle.

"Fucking," says Caroline, surrounded by Monopoly money-turned-confetti.

Ren scoops her onto his back to carry downstairs, then deposits her next to her sister.

"Oh," says Justine. She regards Caroline with as much sympathy as if it is neither the first nor second time this has happened. "Why didn't you just ask Ren?"

Ren, having fashioned a makeshift stool with a stepladder and one of Margaret's square pillows, takes a step back to admire his handiwork. Nodding to himself, he says, "Keep it elevated. I'll grab something after dinner, okay?"

Caroline obliges but turns her head, scoffing as if this is the last thing she could want on Earth.

Justine advises, "Get Cluedo."

That is when Goro chooses to appear with the sent-after bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a dishtowel, which he hands to Ren to keep pressed on Caroline's foot. "What's the verdict?" 

" _Goro-ouji_ ," Caroline stage-whispers, "in the lounge, with the revolver." 

"Oh? Are you quite fond of mysteries?"

"Dinner," decides Ren. "Also, Uno."

To this Justine rolls onto her stomach and picks herself up, tacitly joining Goro as they transfer dinner to the kotatsu. While they so do Ren discovers that the twins seem to have been in the middle of a horror movie marathon, which he feels like Margaret may have forbidden, but with no concrete evidence he will surrender to the bliss of having no such memory. Anyway, he meant well; the manipedi assured that Justine sat in one place, unlike the invalid in his peripheral who is currently trained on him with wide, marveling eyes.

Ren turns, arching an eyebrow. "You okay?"

She bristles. "Wha—Of course I am, what are you looking at!"

"Nothing," Ren says, chest warm with affection. For her benefit he turns his attention to the kotatsu, under which Justine and Goro have comfortably settled, the table lain with four cups of water and bowls of—wait. "Goro, eat. Margaret won't mind."

"I'm not too hungry," Goro starts, and with the additional watt of pleasantness he's officially about to be extra. Sure enough: "I thought we could share, Ren. Your hands are occupied."

"NO PDA AT THE TABLE I'M FINE NOW REN THANK YOU."

Goro doesn't even blink. With naught a glance to the literal child he is challenging, he says, "Isn't it interesting that sometimes human beings are their own respective undoings?"

Ren: "Goro—"

"Yeah and sometimes they're just a bitch!"

Justine: "Caroline—"

"Or rather a miniature fucksnot," Goro says, delighted.

"OR MAYBE A FREAKISH DICKWEASEL!"

Ren has never seen Goro laugh so hard.

* * *

Later, after giant lollipops and Cluedo and a convoluted insult-based shiritori of the twins' invention, Ren hauls himself next to Caroline such that in her exhaustion she can snuggle comfortably to his chest. Justine instantly manifests at his other side to sandwich him in sleepy gremlins. 

Goro meanwhile excuses himself for a "work call" in the other room, which tasks him with occasionally mumbling various sounds of assent while more often texting Ren increasingly stupid strings of only emoji. 

Ren really loves them all so much.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading! you can comment, kudos, and/or [rt](https://twitter.com/lumenize/status/1085386756487303169)! ♡


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